Detachable button



Patented Feb. 9, 1937 UNITED STATES.

2,070,162 DETACHABLE BUTTON John L. Friedrich and Frank P. Stockdalc,Los

' Angeles, Calif.

Application February 6, 1934, Serial No. 709,964 Renewed October 3, 19362 Claims.

Our invention has reference to buttons for Wearing apparel, and itrelates particularly to cloth covered buttons as used on wash dresseswhich consist of metal bodies having their tops covered with cloth andtheir bottoms each formed with an opening from which cloth is protrudedto permit sewing of the button to the dress. At present it is thepractice of wash dress manufacturers to sew the cloth buttons on byhand, there being no machines for this purpose.

This hand sewing of cloth covered buttons to relatively inexpensive washdresses is a very costly part of the manufacturing expense. Also, inlaundering a wash dress with the buttons attached, the resultant rustfrom the metal parts of the button discolors both the cloth of .thebutton and the dress. v

It is a purpose of our invention to provide a two part buttonclothcovered or otherwise, in which the partsareseparable, and whereinone part can be rapidly sewed to a dress by the conventional machinesprovided for the purpose, while the other part which is cloth covered,can be manually attached to the first part and securely held" thereon bycoacting fastening means on the two parts, to prevent accidental removaor detachment of the button from the dress, and yet permit intentionalmanual detachment thereof when it is desired to wash the dressseparately from the ,buttons. Thus, in accordance with our invention thehand sewingpf the buttons to a dress as well as .the attendant expensethere of is eliminated, and the button, although securely attached tothe dress is readily removable to permit washing and ironing of thedress without the 'cloth covered part of the button thereon, and therebypreventing discoloration of the dress material from rust andfacilitating ironing of the dress by reason of the absence of the buttons.

It isalso a purpose of our invention to pro vide a button having headand socket elements of angular construction as distinguished from tationof the head element in the socket element,

and permit separation of the two elements only when. either element .issubjected to a direct axial We will describe only one form of buttonembodying our invention and will then point out the novel featuresthereof in claims.

In the accompanying drawing:

Fig. 1 is a view showing in side elevation and partly in section oneform of buttonembodying the line 5--5 of Fig. 1.

Our invention in its present embodiment com- 4 prises a button having ahead part and a socket tal part of the button and includes a top [5 andcenter to form a head fastening element I8'having a neck I 9 of reducedcross section. The element I8 is of angular form in cross section toprovide a plurality of faces l8 angularly disposed to provideintervening corners l8". In the present instance, the element It issquare to provide four such faces 18 and corners 18 but it will beunderstood that the head element can be made of any angular form. Also,the head element is slightly tapered from the neck Hi to its free end inorder to facilitate introduction of the head element into the socketelement.

The socket part B of the button comprises a fiatm etal body 20 ofsubstantially squareform in outline to conform to the contour of theconventional type of socket element which is capable of being sewed to agarment by the well known machines provided for thepurpose; Openings 2|in the body, 20 are provided to receive the threads for sewing the scket part to the fabric 22 of the wash dress or other form of garment,as illustrated in Fig. l.

As best shown in Fig'. 3, the socket body 20 is flanged at its edges andinturned to form a continuous lip 23 which isprovided for the purpose ofsecuring a retaining spring 24 in proper position on the body. The body20 is outstruck at its center to form a socket fastening element 25 on aneck 26, the latter having slots 21 to receive portions 2! of the springThe element 25 is The metal ment and the bottom of of the same shape asthe head element iii, but of a sizeto /snugly receive the latter and sothat its inside angular faces 25" and corners 25' have uniform contactwith the corresponding faces 5 and corners of the head element.

' In practise, the socket part B is secured to the fabric 22 so that theopen end of the socket element 25 is presented to the outside. of thedress of which the fabric is a part. Thus to attach the button to thefabric it is necessary only to center the head part on the socket partwhen the head element l8 can be forced past the spring portions 24' andinto the socket element. 26. In

the fully seated' position of the head element it the spring portionshave sprung back so as to repose within the slots 21 to grip the neck isand a 30 elements presents coacting surfaces or walls that function asabutments to secure the head element 7 against withdrawal from thesocket element except by a direct axial pull on the button suficient toovercome the tehsion of the spring portions 24 Thus the button issecurely retained on the-gar-- the ment against accidental detachmentunder stresses to'which the head element is subjected in the normal wearof the garment.

It will be noted that the end of the headelethe socket element are flatto have uniform contact one with the other, and thus other walls areprovided which coact with the side walls of the elements to secure thetwo against separation under the normal stresses With the parts of thebutton assembled ,as de- 1 head.

to which the button head is subjected when on the arment.

Although we have herein. shown and described only one form of buttonembodying our invention, 1 it is to be understood that various changesand trally of and projecting laterally from said body and of angularform circumferentially, a reduced neck connecting said head to saidbody; a socket part having a substantially flat body and a socket formedcentrally of and projecting laterally from said body and of angularshape interiorly to snugly receive said head and coact therewith informing a plurality of circumferentially spaced abutments .whichcooperate to secure the head and socket against rotation relatively; anda spring secured within the body of said socket part and having portionsextending into said socket toengage said head.

2. A button comprising; substantially fiat body and trally of andprojecting laterally from said body and of angular formcircumferentially, a reduced neck connecting said head to said body; asocket part having a substantially flat body and a socket formedcentrally of and projecting laterally from said body and of angularshape interiorly to snuga head part having a 1y receive said head andcoact therewith in form-' ing a plurality of circumferentially spacedabutments which cooperate to secure the head and socket against rotationrelatively, said head being exteriorly tapered toward its free end andsaid socket'being interiorly tapered toward its inner end to receivesaid head; and a spring secured within the body of said socket part andhaving portions extending into said socket-to engage said JOHN L.FRIEDRICH. FRANK P. STQCKDALE.

a head formed cen-

